Dubai, Maldives, Singapore launch social media campaigns to woo Indian traveller

Some short-haul destinations such as the UAE, Maldives, and Singapore are trying to woo Indian tourists with influencer campaigns and attractively-priced packages in partnership with airlines with popular long-haul destinations such as the UK under lockdown because of a surge in covid-19 cases.

“With international destinations reopening for tourists there has been a significant demand. We have witnessed an impressive growth rate of 25-30%. Destinations such as Dubai and Maldives have seen 100% growth in bookings in December compared to previous months. We have obtained not just queries, but also encouraging bookings for Egypt,” said a spokesperson of travel firm SOTC.

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Indian tourists planning to visit the UAE, which started welcoming visitors from July, are required to take two covid-19 PCR tests, one not more than 96 hours before departure and a second test upon arrival in Dubai. The tourism board of Dubai is running phased campaigns since April to woo travellers from India, which remains its top source market. To boost demand, it is also running the ‘Live Your Story’ campaign across social media platforms to encourage travellers.

“South Asia makes up for 32% of all visitors in this period (July onwards) and we’ve seen positive growth month-on-month with Indian travellers. We have worked hard to curate a robust calendar of events and attractions to delight travellers in 2021. Starting with the annual Dubai shopping festival (in January), Dubai has a lot to offer across interests and budgets,” said Abdulla Yousuf, acting director, proximity market, Dubai Tourism.

Dubai will kick-start its food festival, Gastronomy, in February, while the Art Dubai event will begin in March. The board said visitors travelling with Emirates or FlyDubai airlines, will be offered free global coverage for covid-19 health expenses and quarantine costs till December 2020.

Maldives has also started attracting tourists to its white sand beaches and luxury resorts after India established an air bubble agreement in August. Maldives is collaborating with major airlines, tour operators and agents to create awareness and promote the destination, with different marketing activities in India.

“We have worked with Singapore Airlines and AirAsia and will start new campaigns this month with Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Air Astana. Other key campaigns with stakeholders (hotel properties and resorts) are in process. As we have opened resorts, guesthouses and liveaboards, we see various attractive offers from different properties. We have provided industry stakeholders with a platform to promote those packages and their experiences,” said Thoyyib Mohamed, managing director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corp.

Singapore is taking a long-term view of the India market as its borders remain closed for tourists. However, it has been investing in digital and social media outreach in partnership with Zomato, BookMyShow, and NH7 Weekender music festival to stay connected with Indians. The Singapore Tourism Board is set to launch an influencer campaign ‘Singapore thru Passionistas’ Eyes” with five popular social media influencers to create a community of advocates for Destination Singapore.